Skin is subject to deterioration through dermatological disorders, environmental abuse (wind, air conditioning, central heating) or through the normal ageing process (chronoageing) which may be accelerated by exposure of skin to sun (photoageing). In recent years the demand for cosmetic methods for improving the appearance and condition and, in particular, for reversing, reducing or preventing the visible signs of wrinkled, aged and/or photodamaged skin has grown enormously.
Consumers are increasingly seeking “anti-ageing” products that reverse, treat or delay the visible signs of chronoaging and photoaging skin such as wrinkles, lines, sagging, hyperpigmentation and age spots.
It is known in the art that retinoic acid is a potent anti-ageing active and induces dermal repair of photodamaged skin. It has been shown that wrinkle effacement and dermal repair following topical treatment of skin with retinoic acid arises through new collagen deposition and synthesis in the skin (for example, Griffiths et al. N. Eng. J. med. (1993) 329, 530-535). It is widely accepted that strengthening of the dermal matrix by boosting the level of collagen in skin using retinoic acid provides anti-ageing/dermal repair benefits.
The Liver-X-receptor (LXR) is a nuclear receptor known to be present in human keratinocytes where it plays an integral role in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation as well as lipid metabolism within the epidermis.